Skeletons at the Feast
by Chris Bohjalian
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Book Reviews of Skeletons at the Feast
Book Review: The past repeating
Summary: 5 Stars
Bear River Spirit: The thematic of the games includes: Motion pictures, actors, music, writers, Internet, American Presidents, computers...etc. I read the book and read the reviews. I find a different take on the book completely. I do not view it as history, a rehash of the holocaust, or another WWII story.
I view the book as a reminder of the war we are involved in now. Does anyone comprehend the horror of war other than the people that must live and die in it? What happened in 1944 and 1945 is being repeated in the Middle East.
The Germans, Jews, Prisoners of War, and Russians are being played out yet again. This time there are the American, Muslims, Sunnis, and camps. The brutality of soldiers on either side continues, the horrors of death and destruction, the horrors of brutality and bestiality of mankind, and suffering of innocent families is real. It is not some story we read and tsk about things in the past. We pompously condemn the Germans and Russians as animals without conscience. We condemn the Germans for closing their eyes to the insanity of their leader.
I have my eyes open as I read this book and see the past repeated. I see the insanity of our leaders. I feel the terror and sadness of a family I have corresponded with in Iraq. This family like the others was a prosperous middle class people that had to abandon their house, friends, and wealth to survive. They are Sunnis fleeing to Syria and trying desperately to find work and survive. There are prisoners of war tortured by Americans and Muslims not for information, but the thrill of bestiality. The dark nature of man is on both sides. There is excitement to control and degrade others.
No my fellow readers, this is a story of reality. This is a story of today. This is a story of what war is regardless of any time period.
WWII fact will match the fact of the Korean conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, Desert Storm, our current Iraq conflict, and yes more wars to come. Some day you just might be in the middle of the terror.
Book Review: excellent character driven historical thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
In ice cold January of 1945, Germans living near the Polish border know the Russians are coming and expect a brutal retaliatory occupation; they also assume the western allies led by America will be less harsh on them. Most know the war is lost even if Hitler and his Third Reich insist they are winning. Thus there is a mass exodus heading west just in front of the Russian army marching through Poland.
Not all can escape. For instance, aristocrat Prussian Rolf Emmerich, who neither the war nor the Nazis had touched his family's upper class lifestyle until now, and his two oldest sons are conscripted and sent to fight; his wife takes their other children and accompanied by a Scottish POW flee for France. They meet Jew Uri Singer, who escaped from a train bound for Auschwitz. Jewish women also head west having escaped a death camp only most die on the death march to France. All know the Russians match the Nazis in brutality and none want to be caught in between either force.
Apparently based on a Prussian woman's 1945 diary, SKELETONS AT THE FEAST is an excellent character driven historical thriller. The story line is loaded with people trying to survive on a desperate trek in which the death of faith in Europe is a by-product of the horrors of war. Readers will feel the hopelessness of all and yet like a tiny glimmer of light in a totally darkened universe, the spirit remains strong not to give in to this despondency. Chris Bohjalian provides an incredible vivid look at a horrific journey to avoid the ruthless Russians in which hope is almost as dead as faith, but little things like love and caring sustain those fleeing, who are fortunate that at that time they remained ignorant of the atrocities the Nazis did to the Russians and the death camps; that knowledge might have snuffed out their last iota of compassion for one another in a world otherwise gone mad.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Not her best
Summary: 3 Stars
Skeletons at the Feast is Chris Bohjalain's twelfth novel, and for the first time, moves from Vermont to a more historical setting: WWII Germany.
There are actually three story lines in Skeletons. The first involves Anna and her family-Prussian aristocrats who are fleeing the advancing Russian army. They gather more than they can carry and join the long line of other Germans trying to move ahead of the enemy army. I have never really thought about Germans, who weren't really a part of the Nazi movement, as displaced casualties of war. The Emmerich family's trek through the frozen landscape kept me on the edge of my seat.
A second story line involved a young Jewish male who jumped from a cattle car on its way to Auschwitz. Uri survives by masquerading as a German solider. Having made friends with Anna and her family, Uri, or Manfred as the Emmerich's know him, joins their march toward family in Stettin, where they hope to find safety.
A third, seemingly unnecessary plot line is that of Cecile and her trials as a Jew captured by the Nazis. Cecile's story and how it relates to Uri/Manfred and Anna is not apparent until almost the end of the novel. It would have been nice to have a little more foreshadowing in Cecile's story so that it would have a bigger impact on the entire novel.
At times, there is nothing new in author Bohjalian's tales of hunger, fear, and brutality as committed by all involved. However, Bohjalian's step-by-step descriptions of the impact that the war had on all three story lines punctuates the preconceived notions I had of that time.
The biggest disappointment of Skeletons at the Feast was the sappy, happily-ever-after ending. It made the entire novel feel more like a nightmare than the possibility of actually have occurred.
Armchair Interviews says: Story of extreme human struggles during war.
Book Review: Haunting
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a huge fan of Christopher Bohjalian, I can't say enough good things about his novels. What I enjoy most is his ability to find unique and controversial topics to write about and explore. I was a little surprised to hear he was writing a book that was placed during WWII in Germany. I was leary to see if he could pull this off, to take a topic that has been written about over and over and movies have been made- could he do something new? The answer is yes.
This isn't the average holocaust novel, featuring mainly Jews in a concentration camp. This book takes a look at how this horrific time in Germany affected many different people. The main characters are a Prussian family who is on the run to find security in another country- a wealthy family who never thought the war would touch them and who did not believe in the autrocities that they were told were going on. Also on the run with them is a Scottish POW, which gives us the perspective of how this war affected those who weren't even citizens of Germany and yet they gave their lives. Lastly there is Uri who is a Jew who escaped from a concentration camp, and two women who did not escape a prison camp, where we see that sickening side of the war. I really loved how these characters were all sort of thrown together and we saw all of these different perspectives.
The tale is haunting, but what else can you say about the holocaust? More than the holocaust, this novel explores the darkside of human nature, but also the part in all of us that is a survivalist and preservere's. I read Cormack McCarthy's novel The Road last year and as I was reading this book I just couldn't stop thinking about the similarities. Maybe this book will reach those heights, it surely deserves it, as does Bohjalian's talents.
Book Review: Exquisite Writing Will Pull You In
Summary: 5 Stars
Once in a while a book comes along that crawls into your soul from the first page and won't let go, even long after you've read the final word. Your perspective is changed; you've been transported to another place and time. Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjolian is such a book.
Skeletons at the Feast is set in Germany during the final months of World War Two. The Third Reich is falling apart; the vengeful Russians are invading. The good German Emmerich family has quietly lived at their family estate, raising horses and believing in Hitler's vision, unaware of his true purpose. They have even been allowed to "keep" a Scottish POW to help around the farm, and he and the daughter of the house have begun a clandestine affair. When the war begins to turn and the family realizes that they must flee or face the terrible retribution of the advancing Russians, eighteen year old Anna, her mother, younger brother, and POW Callum are forced to leave everything behind. As they forge ahead on foot through bitter cold, they know nothing of the fate of Anna's father and two older brothers who are fighting the Allies far away. Along the way, they encounter Uri, an escaped Jew who has been masquerading as a German soldier. With Uri's protection, they continue their journey; yet as they travel, they must begin to realize the atrocities that the Germans have been committing and their own unwitting roles in this holocaust.
The difficulties and even the small triumphs of this group as they trek onward to safety are breathtaking. Bohjolian has a gift for storytelling and he has brought to light the plight of innocent Germans who paid the price for Hitler's egomaniacal plans. This one is definitely a keeper and is very highly recommended.